The 24th edition of the Las Vegas Bowl featured the BYU Cougars against the Utah Utes, earning the game the moniker the Holy War in Sin City (named for the "Holy War" rivalry game and the "Sin City" nickname for Las Vegas).
[7] After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record, bowl director John Saccenti extended an invitation for the Cougars to play in the game, which they accepted.
[8] This was the Cougars' sixth Las Vegas Bowl, extending their record for most appearances in the game.
During the postgame interviews, athletic director Tom Holmoe stepped in during one segment and announced that Kalani Sitake had been officially hired to be the new head coach of BYU.
Also, they won the previous year's Las Vegas Bowl, defeating former conference mates Colorado State 45–10.